Thursday, June 6, 2013

Zatar Flatbread to accompany soup (I baked the flatbreads in a 500ºFoven (pricked the tops with a fork in a few places so that they wouldn't puff up like pita) until the bottoms were browning a bit, flipped them over, brushed with a little olive oil, and sprinkled with za'atar, then baked just until the edges started to brown a little. (See about za'atar here http://tinyurl.com/mh3pycg )
Finally, here is the post on the flatbread dough I've been working on for a few weeks. I haven't exhausted all the possibilities, but enough to give you some ideas. I was first inspired by the recipe in a great book called "River Cottage Veg Every Day". (It's a vegetarian vegetable cookbook-- not vegan, but, as the author writes, if you're a vegan "you know what to do".) Hugh's recipe is with white flour only, but I wanted a mostly-whole wheat one. So, I revised the recipe, using advice from Cook's Illustrated magazine for making a light, tasty whole wheat pizza dough-- which is, basically, use a little unbleached white flour along with the whole wheat, add a tiny bit of sugar (to counteract a slight bitterness in the wheat), and a little bit more oil for a more flexible dough. (I'm going to try it with all whole wheat flour next.)

I've been using this dough quite a bit. It's so easy to make and convenient and quick to make. You can keep it in the refrigerated for a couple of weeks and just use what you need a bit at a time, if you like. I've made flatbread wraps for my husband's on-the-road lunches several times and breakfast wraps, too; flatbreads topped with various things for accompanying soups and salads; pizza for a birthday dinner for six; and stuffed breads, too. Here are some photos and notes, and then the recipe. Have a ball experimenting with this-- everyone I've served my experiments to has been very impressed!

Pizza!

Breakfast Wrap with Tofu/Cashew Ricotta and Peach Jam (see recipe for the ricotta below, plus a recipe for Almond Ricotta and a link to Okara/Cashew Ricotta)

My first version-- sauteed leek greens with daiya mozza-- yum! (I baked the flatbreads in a 500ºF oven (pricked the tops with a fork in a few places so that they wouldn't puff up like pita) until the bottoms were browning a bit, flipped them over, sprinkled with Daiya, then Za'atar, then a little olive oil, and baked until the Daiya melted. (see about za'atar here http://tinyurl.com/mh3pycg )

*******************************************************************

The following pics are a version of stuffed Piadine (stuffed flatbreads from Romagna called crescione). The dough for these breads is usually unleavened or made with baking powder, but this recipe worked just as well.

Piadine stuffed with sauteed garlicky rapini and a smear of Tofu/Cashew Ricotta (see recipe for the ricotta below, plus a recipe for Almond Ricotta and a link to Okara/Cashew Ricotta)

Sauteed rapini with garlic and a little chile

Homemade Tofu/Cashew Ricotta (see recipe for the ricotta below, plus a recipe for Almond Ricotta and a link to Okara/Cashew Ricotta)

This recipe makes
about 3 large pizzas, 8 largish wraps or flatbreads, or 12 smaller flatbreads,
wraps or pita. (You could even make simple rolls or breadsticks with this dough, but I
haven’t tried that yet.)

**I include a no-knead version in this recipe, but I have been
using the kneaded version lately because it’s easier to handle (it only needs 5
minutes kneading). The no-knead version
requires more flouring during shaping, and an experienced hand at rolling out well-hydrated
dough.

NOTE: If you prefer to make this with only
unbleached white flour (4 cups), you can omit the sugar and use only 1
tablespoon of oil. See text above for
more info.

3 cups whole wheat flour (you can use white whole wheat flour, if you have it)

1 cup unbleached white flour

1/2 tablespoon fine sea salt

1 3/4 cups lukewarm water

PS: I plan to try this
next time using 3/4 cup pureed cooked or canned white beans in place of 3/4 cup
of the water—I’ll keep you posted!)

2 teaspoons organic sugar

1 teaspoon instant or dry active yeast

2 tablespoons olive oil

FOR NO-KNEAD VERSION:
All the same; the only change is to use only 2 3/4 cups whole wheat flour.

Mix together the 2 kinds of flour and the salt. (Mix in a medium bowl or dough-rising bucket—preferably
with a lid—with a whisk, if using the No-Knead version or kneading by hand; or
in the bowl of your stand mixer if kneading by machine.)

In a smaller bowl, or a measuring pitcher, mix the water, sugar and
yeast. Let stand for a couple of
minutes.

NOTE: I know that
you don’t have to do this with instant yeast, but Master Baker Peter Reinhart
says (in his book “Peter Reinhart’s Artisan Breads Every Day”, pps 12-13): “...I’ve discovered that waking up the yeast
in lukewarm water allows it to ferment more effectively during the cooldown
phase in the refrigerator. It also makes it possible to put the dough in the
refrigerator as soon as it’s mixed rather than having to wait for it to rise.
The warmer dough and activated yeast have plenty of time to rise as the dough
cools, so the dough is ready to use right from the refrigerator, without the
wake-up time required in many of the recipes I’ve developed...Another benefit
of this method is that it’s the same whether you use instant or active dry
yeast...”

Add the oil to the yeast mixture and pour into the flour
mix. With a wooden spoon or dough whisk, stir into a rough dough. If using the No-Knead method, that’s
all you have to do. If you are kneading, either by
hand or by machine, knead about 5 minutes. If using a machine, remove
the dough from the machine bowl and place into a lightly-oiled medium-sized bowl
or dough-rising bucket. Cover with the lid or place the bowl inside of a large
food-safe plastic bag (use a twist-tie,
but make sure the bag “poofs” up over the bowl a few inches) and let it
rise on your kitchen counter until doubled in size.

The following pictures are of the No-Knead version:

Now, you can “knock it back”, as Brits say (poke it until it
collapses), cover again as above and refrigerate for up to two weeks, or you
can use it right away. (Tip:
Refrigerated dough is easier to handle if you use the No-Knead version.)
You can use some of it right away, and keep the remaining dough in the fridge
for other uses—that’s the beauty of this recipe!

If you are using refrigerated dough, there is you don’t need
to bring the dough to room temperature before shaping—another plus! But your oven or pan must be hot, or at
least heating up while you shape the flatbreads. Flatbreads can rise for a few
minutes, but pizza should immediately be topped and placed in a very hot oven
(500-550ºF).

TIP: I generally shape
flatbreads on a piece of baking parchment spread over the surface I’m using, or
on a silicone mat. You can get away with less flour that way. Parchment is handy because, if your dough
sticks to it just cut away the excess around your flatbread and bake it with
the parchment attached! It will come
away just fine after baking. I generally top pizza dough which is on parchment
and then transfer the pizza (using a pizza peel) to the hot pan or stone in the
oven, parchment and all!

BASIC FLATBREADS:NOTE: Even though this is a yeast dough, you can
use thin flatbreads like a tortilla or sandwich wrap, or a stuffed bread (see
Piadine photos above).

Pinch or cut off golf-ball-sized pieces of the dough (or
larger, depending on the size of the flatbreads you want). Roll them to less than 1/4” thick—they can be
round, oval, or odd-shaped; it doesn’t matter! (See Pita and Pizza entries below for tips and resources re rolling out
the dough.) Now, you “bake” them in a hot skillet on the stovetop on at a
time. (I often quickly make 2, 3 or 4 for lunch or breakfast with my
refrigerated dough and it takes only minutes once you’ve done it a few times.)

To cook on top of the
stove, heat a heavy cast iron skillet or griddle or hard-anodized skillet (9-12”) over high
heat until the pan is very hot. (You can
turn on your stove fan or open a few windows!)

Flip one flatbread at a time
onto the hot skillet and cook a minute or two, until it’s bubbling up and has
brown spots on the bottom. Flip it over
and cook until there are brown patches on the second side.

NOTE: You may have to turn the heat down on your stove, or adjust the heat as you go-- stoves vary. You don't want the breads to burn right away. After you've done a few, you'll know how to handle your stove next time!(Alternative method:You can bake a bunch of them at one
time like pita in the oven, but prick the dough all over with a fork before
baking so the dough doesn’t puff up so much. Watch carefully so they don’t
burn. )

If you are eating them right away, you can brush or spray each bread with a little olive oil (infused with garlic is yummy!) and sprinkle with any toppings you want (see text above). If they are not to be used right away and you want to keep them softened (for a wrap, perhaps), cool them in an open paper bag. To keep them more crisp, cool on baking racks.

Nutrition Facts for 12 flatbreads or pitas: (This is about the same calories, etc. as 2 slices of bread.)

PIZZA: I generally roll or pat the dough into an 8" circle (on a lightly-floured piece of baking parchment or silicone baking mat) and
then use the weight of the dough to stretch it into a thinner round by draping
it over an over-turned mixing bowl. Then
I place the dough on baking parchment which is sitting right on the pizza peel
(see paragraph directly above).
See this post for instructions and a photo, as
well as baking instructions: http://veganfeastkitchen.blogspot.ca/2006/05/vegan-pizza-night.html You drape the dough over an over-turned bowl and gently
stretch it until it is the right size, using the weight of the dough stretch
it. Work slowly so that you don’t tear the dough. If it does tear, by some
chance, you can patch it and seal it again. The pizza does not have to be
absolutely round! You can use a rolling pin instead, but Neapolitans are of the
opinion that stretching the dough rather than rolling it makes a flatter and
less chewy crust.

**********************************************************************MY VEGAN RICOTTA RECIPES:(Both from my book “Nonna’s Italian Kitchen: Delicious Homestyle
Vegan Cuisine”
(The
Book Publishing Co., Summertown, TN,
2003) NOTE: If you make your own soymilk and/or tofu, or have access to fresh okara (the leftover soy pulp), you might like to try my recipe for Okara/Cashew Ricotta at this post.Printable Copy

BRYANNA'S RICOTTA DI SOYA (TOFU RICOTTA) Makes 3 1/2 cups

This mixture is very similar to the creamy full-fat ricotta
used in Italy,
which bears little resemblance to the watery, grainy ricotta available to most
North Americans. It's so creamy that you
can use it as a spread on bread, or a filling for crespelle (crepes), or even
in desserts.

In a food processor, mix about 3 cups of the crumbled tofu,
the ground cashews, the lemon juice and salt until they are VERY smooth. Then crumble in the remaining tofu and
process again. The resulting mixture
should be mostly smooth, but with a little graininess-- it doesn't have to be
like cream cheese.

Scoop the "ricotta" into a plastic container and
refrigerate. It firms up when chilled.

Place the hot water and almonds in a blender and blend
until a very smooth "cream" results-- be patient! It cannot be
grainy. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend again well.

Pour the mixture into a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan and
stir constantly over medium-high heat until it thickens and comes to a boil.
Turn the heat down to medium and cook 1 minute more, stirring.

MICROWAVE OPTION: Pour the mixture into a large microwave-safe bowl or beaker. Cook in microwave oven for 2 minutes at 100% power. Whisk. Microwave 1
to 2 minutes more, or until thickened.

Scrape the mixture into a container and let it come to room
temperature. Beat it with a whisk or electric hand mixer. Cover and chill. When it
is chilled and firm, mash and stir it with a fork, until it has some texture.
Refrigerate.

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